Sympathy Flowers

May 22nd, 2013

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Posted on Jun 08 in Chinese Tradition, In Memory Ofby ShelynPrint

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Sending a tribute of flowers is an appropriate way of expressing sympathy to a family who has experienced the loss of a loved one.

Sympathy flowers express a feeling of life and beauty and offer much comfort to the family. Flowers provide a living memorial to the deceased as they bring hope to those who grieve.

So the flowers were the only thing that cheered me up during the funeral.

We were surrounded by all type of flowers. I spent most of my time taking pictures of the flowers and enjoying the creativity of the flowers arrangement.

I wondered exactly how many bouquets of flowers we received, so I counted it. Yeah, you should be able to guess how free it is to stay there whole day that I had ample free time to photograph and to count the flowers.

82 bouquets of flowers!! And they would be soon thrown away after the funeral. Sad, isn’t it?

And those bouquets are taller than me.

This is my favorite for its uniqueness.

First time I saw cabbage used for a flower arrangement.

And these globe shaped plants that I have never seen.

Sympathy flowers are no more only white and yellow. They add the colors and send forth wafts of delicate fragrance to the funeral hall.

Sympathy flowers bring beauty to a memorial service and hope to those who grieve.

When words fail, a gift of natural beauty expresses our heartfelt sympathy.

After getting so many orders from my dad (my dad helped to order the flowers on behalf of friends), this florist personally gave us a bouquet.

According to a study conducted by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, after family, friends, and eulogy, flowers rank first among those who have lost a family member or friend as the most meaningful aspect of funerals.

Furthermore, at a time of loss, recipients rank flowers and sympathy cards as the most meaningful of gifts. Those surveyed believe flowers and plants are a critical component of funerals, providing a necessary diversion, something to talk about, and a bright environment at a somber time.

However, all these 82 bouquets of beautiful flowers would be thrown away after the funeral. I felt so sad seeing them ended their lives in a big trash bin which made me ponder if human should pick the flowers or just let them grow on the ground to continue their lives forever.

Complete articles of Chinese funeral Customs and Ceremony:

1. Preparation

2. Taoist Style

3. Sympathy Flowers

4. The Wake

5. Procession

6. Cremation

About Shelyn

Shelyn is the founder and editor of Travel and Living Bliss. You may get to know more about Shelyn in About page or follow Shelyn on Twitter and Facebook. You may also click here for Email Subscription to RSS feed.

2 Comments

London Caller says:

June 8, 2009 at 11:54 am

Sorry for you loss. Hope things are getting better!
Yes, it’s a bit wasteful to throw those beautiful flowers away after the ceremony.

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